Game Start! (Old Version)
by ColorKitten6
Summary: When your average, sad human dies and gets brought into a video game version of an anime, things are bound to go wrong. Or maybe right, depending on your perspective. (No More Updates, See: the rewritten version)
1. Chapter 1

Anyone who knew Jane Lindly, a 35-year-old virgin writer, knew she was never anything special. She had the average American family, a father, a mother, a sibling, a cat, and a dog. She had average grades, C's with the occasional B. She was average.

Jane wasn't a troublemaker, but she also wasn't completely clean. She wasn't a neat freak, but she wasn't messy.

Jane was simply Jane and for her life, that's all she's ever was. Even her name was simple, and herself forgettable. The only relationship she was ever in didn't even last especially long or short, nor was the breakup messy or particularly clean.

The only thing that seemed extraordinary about Jane was something only she was ever privy to. Her imagination.

Her imagination was what Jane liked best about herself. Starting with vague thoughts that spiraled into complicatedly beautiful masterpiece only she ever got to see.

However, Jane's extraordinary imagination also culminated into her greatest weakness. Her lack of focus. It seems silly but it's true.

Constantly getting lost in her imagination damaged her grades and relationships. Jane would zone out and back in at the most inopportune moments.

In reality, that might've been what caused Jane's death and, subsequently, everything after.

It's honestly stupid on Jane's part for how she died. A burglar broke into her house, not even being quiet really, to find Jane zoned out in her couch.

Probably freaking out about possibly being caught, they took the thing closest to them, a lamp, and bashed it over Jane's head.

Anyone else would've heard them enter, heard the table clatter when they yanked free the lamp, but this wasn't anyone else. No, this was Jane, the most oblivious person alive.

The solid metal lamp hit Jane's head a bit too hard, likely from the would-be burglar freaking out. So Jane wasn't just knocked unconscious, no she died.

Except not exactly, no Jane's consciousness went someplace else at her death. Not that Jane noticed, being still drowned in her imagination.

It wasn't until something seemed to force Jane out of her head did she notice anything had changed. Again, it's really stupid on her part.

**Game Over**

'Ack! Bright red! It had to be bright fucking red!' Was Jane's first thought as she jolted back into focus. Rubbing her eyes furiously, she grumbled to herself.

"Stupid Game Over screen, stupid black void, stupid bright red letter…" Jane went on and on, eventually smacking the letters in her annoyance. They were surprisingly solid at that.

Then Jane froze, blinked, and came to a _stunning_ realization. "Wait, that said 'game over'," then another "huh, it's kind of like when you die in a video game" Jane smiled to herself.

_*click*_ "Wait, does that mean…I _died_?" Jane felt like freaking out at that but, for some reason, was oddly calm. Well not _calm_, but at least thinking straight.

Mind feeling scrambled, Jane looked over what appeared in front of her. She felt almost numb as she struggled to work through what was happening.

**New Game**

**Load Game**

**Options**

**Exit**

Immediately, the fourth option was discarded. If Jane was correct in her assumption of already having died, **Exit** would probably mean dying permanently. She didn't want that… yet.

Her next thought was to perhaps **Load**, but nothing was there. Only empty save files.

Jane scrunched up her face, "What idiot doesn't save?" Jane scoffed. Then flushed as she remembered that _she_ was the **Player** in this situation.

Quickly abandoning that page, Jane's third choice finally bare some fruit. What she found was a surprise, and angered her.

**Difficulty: **Easy, **Normal, **_**Hard**_**, Very Hard, Nightmare**

**Leveling: Enabled, **_**Disabled**_

**Tutorial; Enabled, **_**Disabled**_

**Help: Enabled, **_**Disabled**_

**Graphics: Pixelated, Cartoony,** _**Real**_

**Hud: Enabled, **_**Disabled**_

"Who the hell chose _these _options?" Jane growled, throwing her head back in frustration. Then, of course, the fact that _she_ was the **Player** came back to her.

With a sight, Jane moved around the settings a bit. The difficulty was changed to normal, for some reason not allowing easy. Leveling, the Tutorial, HUD, and Help were all Enabled. She ended up leaving the graphics alone though.

Eventually, though, Jane left the **Options **menu. Then stared at the screen. After intense deliberation -or five seconds- Jane just decided to click the button and see where it took her.

**New Game Selected…**

**...Loading…**

**...Loading…**

**...Loading…**

**...Error 404: Character not found…**

**Redirecting to Character Creation…**

**...10%...**

**...33%...**

**...45%...**

**...75%...**

**...93%...**

**...100%...**

**...Finalizing…**

**Loading Complete**

**Enjoy the Game**


	2. Chapter 2

Jane came too in a different… room. Or at least she supposed it was a room.

The room was substantially more gray than the last room had been. It had a definitive floor and walls, one a darker gray than the other.

In front of Jane was white text, also very solid. Below the text was what was very distinctively a keyboard.

**Enter a Name: **_default_

Jane tilted her head, pondering. Should she go with _her_ name? Or maybe another? A different name would be cool! Maybe something cool like Akira!

**Welcome, Akira.**

**Please select features from the following.**

What looked like a store mannequin appeared in front of Akira. To the right of her was a list of physical features and to the left was sliders labeled **Height **and **Weight**.

Below the sliders were simply text saying Male and Female, with neither selected.

"Wait, I can be a dude?" Was Akira's first thought. That's what led Akira to make a male character, despite being a straight(?) woman in his first life.

Akira lost track of how long he spent clicking and dragging around in the customized. Honestly not even going to bother with the process.

The end result is all that matters anyway. What Akira ended up looking like was six-foot male with a swimmer's physique. His black hair was a mix of curls and waves that want down to his chin and partially obscured one doe-eyed eye.

Said doe eyes were a deep forest green that almost seemed to flow, complementing his tanned skin and dark hair. Somehow, his eyes made him look smaller and more delicate than the rest of his figure made him out to be.

Finally happy, Akira continued on.

**Default affiliation for the first playthrough chosen.**

**Starting location set to default.**

**Please distribute stats.**

Then, the screen changed on its own, far to fast for Akira to lament his lack of choice in where he would begin.

**STR: 5** \+ -

**DEX: 5** \+ -

**VIT: 5** \+ -

**INT: 5** \+ -

**WIS: 5** \+ -

**LUC: 5 **\+ -

**CC: 5 **\+ -

**Points to Allocate: 15**

"Huh, cool" Akria's voice was still his old feminine one, for now, he wondered if that would change. Probably once he...she...he begins the game. Or at least he thinks so.

Oh well, onto the matter at hand. Namely, while Akria could roughly estimate what each of the stats meant, he had no actual idea how any of them worked in a game sense.

As if reading his thoughts, the game answered. Namely in the form of lighting up little question marks by the stats he hadn't noticed before. They were a pleasant blue color as if inviting Akira to click.

So Akira did, starting with the **STR** stat and working his way down.

**-STR-**

**Strength**

**Affects muscle mass, weight lifting, melee combat, and overall fitness**

**-DEX-**

**Dexterity**

**Affects movement speed, agility, ranged weaponry, flexability, and overall fitness**

**-VIT-**

**Vitality**

**Affects endurance bar, health bar, damage taken, and overall fitness**

**-INT-**

**Intelligence**

**Affects memory recall, learning speed, and chakra capacity**

**-WIS-**

**Wisdom**

**Affects insight, chakra regeneration, and strategy**

**-LUC-**

**Luck**

**Affects percentage rolls in game**

**-CC-**

**Chakra Control**

**Max at 100**

**Affects cost of jutsu, cost of chakra control techniques, and finess with chakra**

"Huh, neat… guess I'm actually gonna have to think about this" Akira spoke to themself, like an insane person. Then again, Akira may actually be insane.

"Let's see, overwhelming tank, wizard like person, or should I just split them?" Akira mused, "As much fun as it would be to be a tank, fighting hand to hand terrifies me, but I don't wanna just be a long range combatant that sucks at fist to cuffs. So I guess I'll just go kind of even with these."

See, Akira isn't much of an otaku. Nor does he care much for tv in general. However, he has watched a couple of animes. As thus, Akira has yet to realized exactly what 'chakra' meant for him.

Either way, he spaced out his stats a bit, making them evenish as he went

**STR: 8**\+ -

**DEX: 7**\+ -

**VIT: 7**\+ -

**INT: 8**\+ -

**WIS: 8**\+ -

**LUC: 6**\+ -

**CC: 7**\+ -

**Points to Allocate: 0**

"Eh, **LUC** sucks in most video games anyway," Akira shrugged, "I'll take not being an idiot instead."

Akira swiped left, the screen going with his hand. Not even consciously thinking back to the fact he has chakra. One might think he'd realize by now.

**Please choose (2) starting perks**

The words floated in front of him. Then they seemed to erupt into dust and disappear, replaced by the list with a small scroll wheel.

**Fire Affinity - 50% less chakra for fire jutsus**

**Water Affinity - 50% less chakra for water jutsus**

**Earth Affinity - 50% less chakra for earth jutsus**

**Air Affinity - 50% less chakra for air jutsus**

**Lady Killer - +20% damage to opposite sex, +10% chance for higher starting relationship**

**Boy Genius - +10% gain INT, WIS, CC**

**Up Close And Personal - +10% gain STR, VIT, taijutsu**

**Stay Away! - +10% gain CC, DEX, Ranged weaponry**

**White Knight - +10% gain CC, medical jutsu, WIS, DEX**

**Fate's Chew Toy - Make life interesting**

**Lucky Bastard - +10% gain LUC, 15% rarer drops**

**Orphan - 0 starting relationships with anyone you meet**

**Be My Friend - Start with one randomized best friend**

**S.P.E.C.I.A.L. - Gain extra points per level**

**Chakra Monster - Begin with 50% more chakra**

**. . .**

The list went on and on and on. Many of the options grayed out except for the first few. Perhaps those were the options for starting perks.

But no, Akira had to look through as many and he could stomach _before _he even thought of what he wanted, 'Cause of course he had to.

Akira knew he wasn't much for healing, although **White Knight** seemed useful, so that was out.

**Boy Genius **was just ridiculously overpowered, especially combined with **Up Close and Personal**, but again with the the whole hand to hand thing.

**Fate's Chew Toy** was… vague. It gave off putting vibes so that Akira dismisses it immediately.

**Orphan **was stupid. As was **Be My Friend** to Akira. **Chakra Monster** and **S.P.E.C.I.A.L** were thrown away at without a second glance.

**Stay Away!** would be useful, but **Boy Genius** seemed to have similar effects.

None of the affinities were chosen, mainly because Akira thought they were the obvious options. **Lady Killer** was ridiculous because Akira was straight, well gay technically, so half the perk was useless.

In the end, **Boy Genius** and an odd one that was available halfway down the list.

Mainly because **Ooo! Pointy!** was too good to give up.

**Ooo! Pointy!** **\- +30% gain to all weapons with sharp blades, +10% DEX, VIT**

It got rid of most of the flaws with **Boy Genius**, except the lack of strength modifier, and knives were awesome.

Besides, 'weapons with sharp blades' could mean almost any melee and throwable weapons. Except staffs and the like.

"A'ight, done, now what?" Akira asked the air. Even though the game wasn't sentient, the next screen seemed to answer him anyway.

**Enjoy Naruto: Akira's Journey**

Then the gray room exploded into color, seeming to pull Akira forward.

The last thought Akira had before he was dragged off into the colorful vortex was him finally realizing what the game was about.

'Chakra, Naruto, Wait I'm in Naruto?!'

Then, nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

Next Akira knew he was in a bed. An uncomfortable bed with a used blanket that looked decades old.

The ceiling above him was stained and warped by time, a simple white color. The walls of the room a creamy yellow with discolored spots and a dusty wooden floor that could use a good scrub.

Around him were beds identical to his own. Except unlike Akira's, they were messy and empty while Akira's was still cleanish under him. Also Akira was on it.

Upon sitting up, the game chose to make itself known.

-**Start Tutorial-**

**[Y] / [**N**]**

Akira started to click yes, then dimly realized he couldn't say no. So he said yes anyway.

**Welcome, Akira, Please select a option you would like to view**

**Character**

**Inventory**

**Skills**

**Relationships**

**Save**

"Huh…" Akira pondered out loud for a moment. Then, in a rare bit of awareness, realized that he probably shouldn't speak out loud concerning the game.

'Especially since I don't know if there are any Ninja around to hear me right now' because Akira has finally realized he's in Naruto, a series he binged once and then never again.

'Welp, when in doubt start at the top and work your way out' Akira smiled and tapped **Character**

**This is the Character Sheet. Here are your stats, status, and perks. This page allows you to level up and allocate given points.**

**Title: Orphan**

**Name: Akira**

**Level: 1 (0%)**

**HP: 100/100**

**SP: 100/100**

**CP: 55/55**

**Age: 8**

**Affiliation: Konohgakure**

**Status: Fully Rested**

**STR - 7**

**DEX - 7**

**VIT - 7**

**INT - 8**

**WIS - 8**

**LUC - 6**

**CC - 7**

**Points to Allocate: 0**

**-Perks-**

**Boy Genius**

**Ooo! Pointy! **

'Is my **CP** supposed to be 55? The others are multiples of 50… maybe it has to do with my stats?' Akira shrugged deciding to ignore it for now. 'I guess **CP** is chakra too, huh'

'Wait why am I 8?' Looking around again Akira realized something, 'I'm in an orphanage too… Is this what the game meant by **Starting Point**?'

With no way to actually confirm his thoughts, Akira mulled it over. Continuing on the the next screen with a simple thought.

**This is your inventory. Here anything you add will be stacking up to 99 except for certain items. Here you will also gain access to your Quest Log**

Below those words were a 20 by 20 grid of simple, gray lines. At the top of the grid was three tabs.

**Inventory **was highlighted, being the one Akira was currently on.

**Quest Items** which was inaccessible until Akira actually gained a quest item… supposedly.

**Quest Log** which, upon entering, had only one simple quest on it.

**[Complete The Tutorial]**

**You activated the tutorial, complete it**

**Rewards: Exp, (2) stat points, (1) E-Rank skill**

The quest seems to have auto accepted itself. Seeing how Akira had already planned to complete the tutorial, he wasn't bothered much.

'Maybe that's why it accepted itself?' Akira pondered, leaving the screen.

Another interesting note was the 'E-Rank Skill'. 'What does that even mean? Is it like a jutsu or maybe something else? What would an E-Rank even be?'

Next in Akira's exploration was the skills page. Although he did not read what the tutorial had written, still wondering what an E-Rank skill would be. 'Like breathing? Walking maybe?'

**This is your skills tab. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Genjutsu, Fuinnjutsu, and other skills can be found here.**

Beneath the text were six collapsible lists reading **E-Rank**, **D-Rank**, **C-Rank**, **B-Rank**, **A-Rank**, and **S-Rank**

The only list that actually had anything on it was **S-Rank**. In it were the two basic skills of any game character.

**Gamer's Mind - (MAX) - Grants user the ability to think logically through any situation, resistance to mind techniques.**

and

**Gamer's Body - (MAX) - Damage to user is taken as if in a video game, various injuries shown as status affects, bonuses from certain items.**

The skills were nothing special but the were also overpowered if you were your average joe. Imagine if Orochimaru has **Gamer's Body**.

Then again, Orochimaru isn't 'your average joe. 'That's actually kind of terrifying' Akira shuddered at the thought.

Personally, Akira has thought Orochimaru was a rather cool character with a neat premise and design.

However, Orochimaru was also a fucking creep. Even Akira noticed that.

'Enough of that' Akira shook his head. With one hand, waved away the Skill screen, and with another opened up the next.

**This is your relationship tab. Here is a list of everyone you know or have met, along with how well they like you. The relationship meter goes as following:**

**Enemies - -5000**

**Abhorred - -4001 - -4999**

**Hated - -2001 - -4000**

**Disliked - -1001 - -2000**

**Strangers - 1000- -1000**

**Liked - 1001 - 2000**

**Friends - 2001 - 4000**

**Best Friends - 4001 - 4999**

**Exalted - 5000**

**Note: Romantic relationship options open up only after you reach the 'friends' meter. Friendship meter can still be raised while Romance meter is open**

**Current Relationships**

**Konoha Civilians - Strangers (0)**

**Konoha Shinobi - Strangers (0)**

**Matron Mira - Liked (1150)**

**Naruto Uzumaki - Strangers (5)**

'Why do I have relationship points with Naruto?' Was Akira's first thought, followed closely by 'Who the hell is Matron Mira?'

Wrapped up in his thoughts, Akira did not hear the creak of the old wooden floor as a large woman opened the door to the room.

The woman was not very large looking in weight, although she had a bit of a belly, but rather she seemed to be nearly six feet tall.

Perhaps it was because Akira was a child who was barely four feet tall, but the woman looked like a gown.

Matron Mira, the woman who had just entered, walked quietly over to Akira, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Akira," Mira spoke "It's time for breakfast" She shook his shoulder, long brown hair brushing his face. For the first time Akira realized he was still laying down.

He opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) and sat up.

With a smile, Akira replied "Coming miss Mira" while he secretly mourned not being able to finish the tutorial in peace.

Mira motioned for Akira to follow her and left the room, long dark dress flowing behind her.

Akira followed dutifully, turning his attention back to the last screen. Praying he would run into anything, nor trip.

**The is the save screen, you may save as many times as you like.**

Despite that, Akira could only see three save slots underneath those words. So maybe not precisely unlimited saves.

Akira began to raise his hand to save, then paused as he remembered his company.

'Never mind then, um… **Save 1**' Akira thought, unsure if it would work. Thankfully for him, the game could read his mind.

**Name save slot?**

'Uhhh, **Tutorial finished**' He and the matron made their way down a rickety set of stairs, the third step seemed about to break.

**Saving…**

Several kids joined them. Chattering excitedly to the Matron. Each one seemed young, looking between the ages of 3 and 5.

**Save Completed**

The Matron led him through a small archway, under which she had to duck, to what looked to be the dining hall.

Long tables went from one side of the room to the other. The room itself not being that big. Each table looked to be able to fit maybe thirty kids if they really squeezed making the maximum capacity of the room around sixty kids. Even with the twenty around Akira, the room still seemed cramped.

Everything around Akira froze, including him. Then it bled to gray, except for him. Words from the quest burst into his view, confetti appearing from around him.

**Quest Completed!**

**[Finish the Tutorial]**

**You activated the tutorial, complete it**

**Rewards: Exp, (2) stat points, (1) E-Rank skill**

**[Accept]**

**(Note: Fanfare just this once, the notifications for completely quests will appear in the scroll under your HP, SP, and CP)**

Akira had to admit, there was a lot of relief that the confetti and freezing world thing would only happen the one one time. It was already really annoying.

Wait, **HP** bar? Scroll? When did those appear? Was Akira really so oblivious as to not notice them?

'Ya know, I'm not surprised I missed that, seeing as how I also missed the fact I actually fucking died' Then he accepted the quest.

A little number one appeared on the scroll at the corner of his vision, and the world resumed.

Little tots ran into the dining hall around his feet, the Matron ringing the bell, and Akira thought that he might open the scroll later. Maybe while he was eating.

Little kids are wayyyyy to easy to trip over.


	4. Chapter 4

Breakfast was rice, because of course it was, and Akira realized something. He didn't know how to use chopsticks. Jane has never used them before and weren't those instincts the same?

Despite how awkward they felt in his had, Akira managed to somehow actually use them. Succeeding once with his left hand, then with his right, and realizing that his character seemed to be ambidextrous.

Perhaps Akira had to thank the ease he learned chopsticks to his perk **Boy Genius**. Which considering the stat increases, it made sense.

Halfway through the meal, finally getting down using the chopsticks, Akira remembered the skill he had gotten.

Struggling for a moment to figure out how to open the notification, Akira managed to open it.

**Skill Gained - E-Rank Observe (Lvl 1)**

**Observe - To focus on something with your eyes - 0 CP per use**

'**Observe**, of course it's **Observe**, why wouldn't it be' Akira thought, half amused at the totally boring skill he got.

**Rice - A little undercooked**

Akira blinked, not realizing he had used the skill. Then hmmm'd to himself around a mouthful of rice. It _did_ taste a little crunchy.

The noisy children faded into the background as Akira spent the rest of the meal multi tasking. Part of him focused on eating, and getting better at using chopsticks, while he used **Observe** on everything he could see.

**Chopsticks - An old wooden utensil, don't think about who used it before you**

**Wooden Table - An old, well worn table**

**Wooden Bowl - It's not that they can't even afford plastic, wood is easier to reuse.**

**Mira Akiyama - Lv ? - Matron of Konohagakure Orphanage**

_***Ping***_

Startled by the sudden noise, Akira dropped the rice in his chopsticks. Well, nearly because he somehow managed to catch his rice. With his chopsticks in fact, which he found rather interesting.

_***Ping***_

This time, Akira didn't drop anything. Although he could feel a few tots and older kids give him a cursory glance.

Yeah, he really needed to curb his reaction to his this thing Akira was apart of.

'Hopefully they don't think I'm weird' Akira prayed, actually wanting to make a decent friend in this life.

'Then again, it's fun being weird,' a glance 'but I wanna make friends' with that internal dilemma going on. Akira turned part of his attention to the new notifications.

***level up!* Observe (Lvl 2)**

**You caught rice with chopsticks - +1 DEX**

…'already?' It was a surprise to Akira that not only had **Observe** already leveled up, but he also already gained a stat point.

'It's that easy?' Akira wondered, 'No,' he decided 'it's probably going to get harder the further I go, like most things in life.'

_***Ping***_

**You figured out the stat mechanic - +1 WIS +1 INT**

'This is really easy though' If it were possible, Akira would've sweat dropped.

Breakfast finished up soon after, leaving Akira to do whatever he wanted.

Apparently, as an orphan, Akira was allowed to wander off without adult supervision. The five-year-olds and below were confined to the playground at the back of the orphanage though.

Not that it was much of a playground. More of a giant field with a slide and a tire swing on one of the trees.

Said 'Playground' wasn't of much interest of Akira, so he left the building through the front door.

Upon leaving, he seemed to step on… something. It _looked_ like plate mashed into the floor. But that didn't fit just right, mainly because it was a light blue color and glowing.

The plate thing broke upon Akira stepping on it, a rush of wind blowing up at him. Akira nearly fell over before he caught himself.

_***Ping***_

**Location Found! - Konohagakure Orphanage**

**0/1 Objectives found**

**5 XP gained**

Akira's watched as the experience, something he hadn't noticed before over the fanfare, seemed to soak into him.

A bar appeared for a moment, right under his CP, and filled up to about ¾ of the way full.

'Must be my experience points…' Akira figured. Then came the realization, 'Wait, if I get experience just from finding places important to the show…'

A smile spread across his face, 'Time to go exploring!' Akira took off down the street.

_***Ping***_

_*trip* 'Not again!'_


	5. Chapter 5

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

Akira flopped into the earth unceremoniously, cool grass tickling his skin.

He was currently laying on a hill in a park somewhere in Konoha, presumably the middle.

Children ran to and fro, not bothering to try and invite him to their game. Akira didn't care, he was tired.

Turns out, running all over the village was kind of exhausting, who would've guessed. So Akira was just taking a break.

A large oak shaded the area Akira was laying on from the sun. Not the ideal spot for cloud watching but it felt amazing from a nice nap.

Embarrassingly, Akira only managed to find two locations that gave him anything.

The first was,

**Location Found! - Hokage Tower**

**0/2 Objectives Found**

**5 XP**

Honestly, the tower was a bit of a freebie. It was hard to miss the giant white and red tower. Not the mention the glowing plate he had to step on was in the middle of the road in front of it.

The guards might've given him an odd look for wandering too close. Or not, it was hard to tell.

Next was,

**Location Found! - The Academy**

**0/4 Objectives Found**

**5 XP**

Again, the rather large academy was hard to miss. Although it took longer to find than the Hokage Tower. Probably because it wasn't very tall.

Now Akira knew where at least two more free-xp locations might be. The Hokage Monument and Ichiraku's Ramen.

But it was not like Akira had a way to get on top of the Hokage Monument, that he knew off, and that Ramen shop was so damn eilusive!

'I mean, we see it a lot in the show! Why is it so hard to find?' Akira thought, like a tiny ramen shop would be a beacon.

Thankfully, Akira did manage to get somethings from his excursion.

**Skill Acquired! - E-Rank Running (Lvl 2) Run run run as fast as you can - 20% Movement Speed when active**

**Constant movement made you tired but you powered on… somewhat - +1 VIT**

**Several near misses have made you more aware of your feet - +2 DEX**

Although what Akira was really happy about was the last notification was.

**Level Up! Player: Akira is now level (2)**

**Reward: (5) Stat Points, (1) perk point, (1) random item**

Akira huffed as his stamina bar slowly rose, feeling proud of himself despite what little he had gotten done in the past four hours, or five? It was hard to tell without we clock.

It was sometime in the morning when Akira started, now the sun was high in the sky. 'It's probably noon by now' Akira noted.

'Right the level up' Akira quickly opened his **Character** page.

**Title: Orphan**

**Name: Akira**

**Level: 2 (5%)**

**HP: 100/100**

**SP: 100/100**

**CP: 55/55**

**Age: 8**

**Affiliation: Konohgakure**

**Status: Fully Rested**

**STR - 7**

**DEX - 10**

**VIT - 8**

**INT - 9**

**WIS - 9**

**LUC - 6**

**CC - 7**

**Points to Allocate: 7**

**-Perks- (1)**

**Boy Genius**

**Ooo! Pointy! **

'Seven? I only got five from leveling up…' Akira thought, then resisted the urge to facepalm 'Right, quest, I'm an idiot' which he was.

'Mkay, what to use them on…' Sitting up, Akira debated with himself, 'I should probably keep the five from leveling up, just in case I need to give myself a boost real quick'

One quick basic math problem later, 'That leaves me with two I can use right now. Hmmm, if I want to go with the swordsman thing, I'm gonna want to up my **DEX**, but I also really like Ninjutsu…'

'My **DEX **is my highest stat right now. While **LUC** is my lowest. **LUC** doesn't seem very useful right now, so maybe **CC**? Chakra control is very important to Ninjutsu if I remember correctly.'

'Alright, **CC** it is!' Akira's decided, adding two points to **CC**, making it a nice 9, even with his **INT **and **WIS**.

**Thorough thinking is the best thinking! - +1 WIS**

'Make that even with **WIS**' Akira amended. Then decided to deal with his single perk point.

Well Akira would've if it wasn't for a sad looking blond he saw out of the corner if his eye.

The blond looked to be the same age as him, wearing a white t-shirt with a red swirl and blue shorts. Even without the bright orange jumpsuit, the whisker marks and angry glares pointed his was made it obvious who the kid was.

**Naruto Uzumaki - (Lvl 3) - Kyuubi Jinchuuriki**

**HP: 100/100**

**SP: 200/200**

**CP: 3000/3000**

'So _that's_ what level two of **Observe** looks like!' Akira stood with little effort, his stamina bar now nearly completely full.

Naruto seemed content to hide behind his tree. Perhaps Naruto only developed his pranking thing after he joined the academy?

Maybe not, Akira decided as he started walking towards the blonde. The smile quickly plastered on his face was way to mischievous for him to _not_ already be a prankster.

"Hi! I'm Akira! What's your name?" Best to start of polite. Naruto didn't seem to recognize him, if the shocked look on his face was anything to go by.

Which again brought up the question of _why_ did Akira have any sort of friendship points with Naruto if they'd never met, but regardless.

"Uzumaki Naruto," was the stammered reply, quickly followed by "Why are you talking to me?"

That caused Akira to frown, he knew the village in general disliked Naruto but really? The kid can't even imagine someone talking to him?

"Because the other kids already have playmates," which was true, "and you seemed lonely" which was also true.

Naruto didn't seem to know how to respond to that at first, blue eyes wide. Then, he smiled.

"Wanna play ninjas?" The blonde asked, a bit unsure. Those deep blue eyes staring up at Akira.

Two immediate thoughts came to Akira in that moment. 'Huh, I'm taller than him' and 'Holy shit he's adorable'. Neither were much of a surprise.

"Yeah!" Akira responded quickly, his momentary silence had seemed to make Naruto disappointed and he couldn't have that.

Naruto's smile returned full force. "Okay! Fastest one to find the other wins!" Naruto spoke excitedly, standing on his tippy toes to look Akira directly in the eye.

**Quest found! [Let's Play Ninja!]**

**[Let's Play Ninja!]**

**Naruto wants you to play Ninja with him**

**Reward: friendship points with Naruto, exp**

**(Y) / (N)**

'Not much of a reward' Akira notes, accepting the quest, 'Although I guess Naruto's friendship is enough.'

"I'll go first!" Naruto said, turning around and began to count. Akira quickly ran in the other direction.

The park had many hiding spots, mainly behind trees and in shrubs. A few of spots where more obvious, like what looked to be a play structure, and immediately dismissed.

Funnily enough, while looking for a spot **Observe** decided to make itself know.

**Large Oak - A tall oak tree**

**Medium Bush - Afairly large but not too large bush**

**Small shrub - So small it does not deserve the title 'bush'**

**Small Oak - A likely recently planted oak tree**

**Large Bush - This bush is large with spiky leaves**

**Blackberry Bush - Shouldn't be in a park, yet here it is**

**Ivy - It crawls up the tree, strangling it**

**Hollow Tree - Termites have eaten this tree from the inside out, leaving only the bark to be held up by Ivy**

**Flower Bush - Pretty white and pink flowers dot this bush in spring**

_***Ping***_

'Wait, hollow tree?' Akira took a second glance back at the nondescript tree.

The large oak was covered in ivy and looked completely healthy. Yet, upon further inspection, there was a hole in it.

Barely small enough to squeeze through, Akira found that the tree _was_ mostly hollow. With the hole partially obscured by ivy, Akira was near completely hidden.

With no need to worry about being seen, Akira worried about being heard. Naruto may not be a Ninja yet, but it was good practice to learn to be quiet.

So Akira crouched in the darkest part of the tree, so if someone found the hole he crawled trough he would not be seen. Then did his best to quiet his breathing.

_***Ping***_

'What's the clock for?' Akira resolutely ignored the pop up, instead focusing on what looked like a timer under said notification scroll with a little two on it.

'Oh! Must be how long I've been hiding. Only five seconds? Maybe it doesn't count the time Naruto's been counting? Probably'

Time seemed to crawl by, Akira preoccupied by the clock. At the tree minute mark, he got another notification. Then, five minutes after they started and extremely bored, he decided to peak out of the tree.

What a horrible decision really when, "SURPRISE!" Naruto yelled, dropping down from above.

Akira's body reacted before his mind, throwing himself out of the way. Naruto landed on his feet as Akira rolled to his knees.

A game of tag ensued, the clock still ticking and Akira assuming that meant the game was still on.

What Akira quickly came to realize was, while he seemed to be a bit faster than Naruto, Naruto's stamina bar dropped at a snail's pace compared to his own. It would've been annoying if Akira didn't know why.

Bolting through the trees, hiding in shrubs when he could to regain his stamina, Akira was loosing ground.

Despite all his effort, Akira couldn't seem to shake the blonde. Naruto just kept coming at him again and again.

Still, he managed to last another three minutes, and three pop ups, before he was caught.

Both parties panted as Naruto kept his hold on Akira. Akira fell to the ground, closing his eyes.

His stamina bar was almost empty. All Akira wanted was a nap but he had a promise to keep.

"Come on! Your turn!" Naruto's voice broke the silence. Akira opened his eyes to Naruto's extended hand.

Taking the offered hand, Akira gave the blonde a kind smile. Slowly, the two made their way back to the starting tree.

Naruto made most of the conversation, quite the chatterbox really. Akira just nodded along and added his opinion occasionally. Who knew you could have such an in depth conversation on ramen?

By the time they made it to the tree, several promises to go to ichiraku's ramen together had been made. It was… nice.

"You count now!" Naruto chirped, practically vibrating in place. Akira nodded, turning around.

As soon as he did, Akira could practically feel Naruto darting off, creating a breeze as he moved.

One… 'I'm tired'

Two...

Three… 'I won't be able to catch him if he's as durable as last time'

Four…

Five… 'Maybe I can surprise him?'

Six… 'I'd have to sneak up on him though'

Seven…

Eight… 'What if I tried to sense him or something?'

Nine…

Ten… 'Eh, worth a shot'

Then Akira turned around, the blonde trickster nowhere in sight. Focusing inward, Akira squeezed his eyes shut.

Feeling around, the still unfamiliar feeling of chakra was rather easy to find.

With absolutely no idea of what to do, Akira took a small bit of his chakra, harder then imagined, and pushed.

The chakra ejected out from him in a sudden wave, causing him to stumble. It pinged off other chakra signatures. All small and obviously civilian.

Except for one, a practical beacon of light. 'That worked?!' Akira felt stunned. How had that worked?

Deciding to think about the later, Akira quickly went in the direction of the beacon. Then, upon losing it when he encountered a very pretty flower, he did the wave… sending… thing again.

_***Ping***_

The beacon was a lot closer now, about ten feet to the right. Without any idea if Naruto was looking at him or not, Akira crept closer as silently as possible.

Creeping close to the ground, Akira tried his best not to hit any bushes or step on any sticks. Closer and closer he crept.

Then, after a moment, Akira spotted something red out of the corner of his eye.

**Large Bush - A large Bush perfect for hide and seek**

'Very helpful' Akira thought, **Observe** hadn't been very useful so far. Well except for the tree he used to hide in.

Being careful to stay quiet, Akira crept closer and closer. Until he was nearly touching the bush.

Then, tending all his muscles, Akira pounced. Wrapping his arms around his prey as the blonde boy flailed in surprise, a small shriek escaping his mouth.

"I win" Akira said simply, laying on top of Naruto. The boy squirmed, pouting.

Rolling off the blonde, Akira gave a cheeky grin. "Only this time! I'll win next time! You hear me?" Naruto proclaimed loudly.

Akira felt his grin widen "I hear ya Naru" Akira relaxed back, not seeing his friend flinch.

"What did you just call me?" The question seemed innocent, but also unsure.

"Naru...do you not want me to? I just thought it might be a cute nickname" Akira propped himself up on his elbows, giving a makeshift shrug.

"It's fine, but only if I can call you Ki!" Was Naruto's response.

Akira thought for a moment, 'Could be worse' he decided. "Ki's fine" He grinned.

Naruto grinned back and, for a moment, everything was peaceful. Just two friends relaxing under the afternoon sky.

Then Naruto's stomach growled. "Ack!" The boy clutched his stomach.

"I'm hungry" he complained, "wanna get Ichiraku's with me?" Naruto stood, the crouched by Akira, offering the boy a hand up.

"Sure, I wanna see what you were so hyped up about" Akira smiles again, something he realized he was doing an awful lot of.

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

Turning to his notifications for a moment, Akira gave the screen a once over. Around him, the world seemed to freeze, as if sensing it was okay to do so at the moment.

**Level Up! Observe (Lvl 3)**

**Skill Gained! E-Rank Stealth - (Lvl 1)**

**Level Up! Stealth (Lvl 2)**

**Level Up! Stealth (Lvl 3)**

**Level Up! Running (Lvl 3)**

**Level Up! Running (Lvl 4)**

**Due to constant moving - +1 VIT**

**Constant evasion is good for training - +1 DEX**

**Skill Gained! D-Rank Sensing (Lvl 1)**

**Quest Complete! [Let's Play Ninja!]**

**Quest Found! [Ichiraku's Ramen Shop!]**

Akira jaw nearly dropped 'That's a lot' then resolved to check the screen more often. That was a lot of buildup to not know about.

Deciding to check out his new, and old, skills _before _resuming the world, Akira quickly went to his **Skills** menu

**E-Rank**

**Observe (Lvl 3) - See the affiliation, HP, SP, CP, and level of any given target up to ten levels higher than you - 0 CP per use**

**Running (Lvl 4) - Run run run as fast as you can- 40% movement speed while in use- 0 CP per use**

**Stealth (Lvl 3) - All sneaky-peaky like - 15% chance to hide successfully -2% for every level higher than you - 0 CP per use**

**D-Rank**

**Sensing - Create a map with your chakra - 90% chance of being discovered - 10 CP per use**

Then the quest,

**[Ichiraku's Ramen Shop]**

**You've been invited to Naruto's second favourite place in the village, make a good impression**

**Reward: (Friend) Status with Naruto, Xp, ?, ?**

**Accept**

**(Y) / (N)**

Akira smiles, accepting the quest and letting the world resume. Time to make a friend.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay… Akira didn't know what he was expecting when he accepted that quest to be Naruto's friend… but this wasn't it.

Honestly, Akira was expecting _any_ repercussions from Naruto's friendship. Why would he?

Then, Akira realized why he should've expected it to be harder than he thought.

The main reason? The same blonde holding his hand and dragging him through the village was, in fact, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.

All around the two people glares. Not just a Naruto but also _him_. Which made no sense.

It made the little boy in Akira nervous to be subjected to such murderous glares, what did he _do? _Hell, it made the _Jane_ in Akira nervous.

Which just caused him to clutch his blonde soon-to-be-friend's hand harder. Akira walking as close as he could manage.

Resolutely ignoring the villagers helped but something about being nearer to the blonde helped.

Or maybe it didn't, maybe it made it worse and it was all in Akira's head. If he even knew what he was talking about, which he didn't.

It was hard to ignore the murderous glares. All Akira wanted to do was turn around and ask '_what did I do?!'_. Or better yet, cry.

Was this what Naruto had to deal with on a day to day basis? Even Akira, who definitely wasn't the most observant person, could practically feel-

_***Ping***_

Make it that literally feel their ire. Akira didn't even need to look at his notification to know what he earned. He could feel it perfectly well thank you very much!

'What kind of horrible person wants to kill an eight-year-old and his friend for existing?!' Akira nearly shouted, restraining it to a slight growl and a thought in his head.

Sure, Akira was perfectly aware of how little the village liked Naruto from the anime. But this? This was ridiculous!

'I can practically feel my reputation dropping like a brick' Akira lamented, mourning his loss of relationship points.

Regardless, Akira couldn't take back what he said to Naruto. The blonde Jinchuuriki's excitement, and inescapable grip, made him hard to say no to.

Also, the kid was adorable and sweet and the motherly instincts Akira didn't know he still had were acting up because Naru seemed just so _sad_.

How was Akira supposed to even _think _about saying know to Naruto with him just being _like that?_ It wasn't fair!

Akira flinched as a particularly angry villager turned his gaze on them. The villager's wife giving them a cold side eye.

Naruto turned around at that, looking at him worryingly. Akira just smiled reassuringly, shaking his head as if saying 'I'm fine'.

Which he was, he promised. Not that it would stop Naruto from worrying. Akira knew Naruto to well for that.

Upon seeing Ichiraku Ramen for the first time, in this life at least, Akira immediately wondered how he managed to miss it.

Not only was the restaurant the only one facing the plaza, but there was literally a giant banner advertising the shop hanging above it.

The banner was bright red and everything! Although with the blind that Naruto moved away, you could easily mistake it for being closed.

Akira shuffled into the stall. Immediately a delicious smell hit his nose, obviously emanating from the kitchen.

With minor effort, the stools were nearly as tall as they were, the pair sat down.

"Two miso ramen, one pork ramen, and one beef ramen!" Naruto cheered loudly, causing an older gentleman to come into view.

**Teuchi Ichiraku - Lvl 20- The Ramen God**

**HP: 200/200**

**SP: 150/150**

**CP: 65/65**

'Knew it' Akira smiles at the ramen maker, but mainly at his title. 'It can't be _that_ good, can it?'

"Naruto!" Teuchi spoke warmly, smiling at the blonde. "Coming right up! How are you?"

The man wrote down Naruto's order on a slip of paper, passing it to someone -probably Ayame is Akira remembered correctly- behind the curtain.

"Amazing!" Naruto threw his arms up, "I had loads of fun and stuff!" He gave the happy grin Akira remembered from the show.

"Oh Naruto! Here's the first one! Who's your friend?" Ayame came from behind the curtain holding a steaming bowl of ramen. Which kind? Akira couldn't tell and who cares.

"Dis is 'Ki" Naruto spoke around a mouthful of ramen. Teuchi left to cook the rest of the meal.

"Swallow before you speak Naru-Chan" Akira admonished out of habit.

Naruto flushed, "oh right sorry" the blonde twittered, going back to his meal with vigor.

Akira turned back to Ayame, blushing as he realized what he did. Ayame just seemed surprised.

"I'm Akira, nice ta meet you!" Akira tried smiling at her. To him it felt like it fell short. If Ayame noticed she didn't say anything.

Instead, Ayame smiled back "I'm Ayame," then her smile became sharper, "So how did you two become friends?"

*_**Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

'Wait what?'

**Ayame Ichiraku - Lvl 15 - Protector of the Blondes**

**HP: 200/200**

**SP: 200/200**

**CP: 75/75**

_***Ping***_

'...Okay…' Akira thought, smiling nervously, 'Why is a ramen shop worker so terrifying, what am I supposed to say? The truth? That sounds good!'

"Well, you know I was just laying down on the grass, relaxing. Turned to the right and I saw a sad looking blonde kid." Akira started, hands moving to accentuate his words.

"He looked really sad and someone so adorable shouldn't be so sad if you ask me. So I asked him to play with me! We did, I mentioned I never had ramen before and now we're here!" Smiling nervously, Akira prayed that would be good enough.

For a moment, the scary overprotective ramen lady studied him. Then, in an instant, all the scary stuff was gone.

Ayame smiles pleasantly, "How cute! What can I get for you?" She brandished a paper and pens from nowhere -or her pockets-.

Blinking rapidly, cause that turnaround should've given Ayame whiplash, Akira spoke nervously, "Uh… miso ramen I guess?"

It seemed like a good choice, Naruto certainly seemed to like it. Speaking of Naruto, Akira turned to look at his friend.

'What's with the blush?' The blonde was staring at Akira with nothing short of surprise.

Why, Akira didn't know.

_***Ping***_

Also the game was getting annoying now, what was that for?

Oh well, Akira smiled at his friend, turning to the ramen bowl in front of him. 'When did that get there?'

Mildly confused, Akira just began eating and… 'Huh, I guess it is pretty good' Akira admitted, humming as he slurped the ramen up.

"You… think I'm adorable?" Naruto sounded hesitant. Which was new. Well not really, Naruto seemed hesitant about friends in general, though he was very eager to gain them.

Swallowing, Akira replied "Well, yeah… you have these big blue eyes and cute whiskers on your cheeks that remind me of a kitten or baby fox" at 'baby fox' Teuchi and Ayame seemed to flinch.

Ignoring them for now, Akira turned to his friend. Somehow, Naruto had already finished all four of his ramen bowls. Akira was half finished and already pretty full.

"I'm your friend Naru, haven't your friends ever called you cute?" Akira meant it as an innocent question.

Naruto seemed to relax, taking it as it was. Not hearing what Ayame couldn't help but take as a loaded question.

"Um… no not really… your my…" Naruto mumbled off, playing with his hands nervously. The blonde looked down, seeming almost shy.

"Sorry, Naru. I didn't catch that?" Akira prodded, actually poking Naruto's cheek. What could he say? Akira really wanted to feel those whisker marks.

"Your my first…" Naruto mumbled off again. Really who was this? Hinata? It wasn't _like_ Naruto to act so… shy. Did so much really change in four years?

"One more time? I'm not a ninja! ...yet" Akira admitted. Yes, he already knew he wanted to be a ninja. What fan of the show wouldn't want to be?

"Your going to be a ninja!? Me too!" Naruto spoke abruptly. Clearly, that wasn't what he was going to say earlier, but Akira would let it pass. For now at least.

"Of course I am!" Akira put up a false offended act, "How else would I be able to protect you?"... and he didn't mean to say that…

Naruto didn't seem to be expecting that either, "Protect me?" The blonde sounded confused. The Ichirakus, who were only eavesdropping to keep an eye on Naruto were confused too.

"Uh…" well isn't that an emotion called embarrassment, " well, if I become strong enough to protect my friends, and your my friend, why wouldn't I want to protect you?" His reasoning sounded weak, even to himself, but it was true.

It's not like Akira could exactly admit that he practically knew the future. Especially considering what _happened_ in the future. Like Pein and Madara and Orochimaru. Who would believe any of that.

If Akira wasn't from another world, he wouldn't have either. No one really expects a tragedy like that until it happens.

"Well," Naruto seemed to regain his steam, "then I'm going to become strong enough to protect you too! And Ayame-Chan and Teuchi and Old man Hokage!" Naruto proclaimed "No matter what it takes!"

Akira couldn't help but stare at the blonde. 'That was his nindo,' Akira noted, 'his purpose for being a shinobi, the one he only really had after he met Haku.' Akira certainly hadn't expected changing the story so soon but… this was a good thing anyway.

"That's exactly what I meant! What's strength if your not going to protect the ones you love?" Akira smiled. Something warm filled the air. Everyone felt it at the ramen bar felt it.

For a moment, it hung there. Akira didn't notice it really, but it was there. Then, as soon as it came, it was gone.

Naruto smiled, a bit shaky but also truer than before. Akira turned to his ramen and finished it in peace. Unbothered by those in the Ramen shop who now considered him 'safe'.

It was quiet in the shop, but it was a good quiet. Not even Naruto felt the need to make noise. Wasn't that a rarity? Maybe no one wanted to disrupt the peacefulness that had descended at Akira's words.

Outside the ramen shop, Narruto finally spoke against. "So, uh" The blonde seemed unsure of what to say. Glancing around at the somewhat empty plaza.

Which brought up a thought, 'Maybe Naruto like this place for the lack of people?' pondered Akira, but only for a moment. Then, he turned to Naruto.

"You were saying something earlier but I didn't hear it. What were you going to say?" Akira asked, curious. Not much was able to make Naruto shy. Then again that was only the Naruto in the show and the Naruto Akira had met wasn't like that at all. So maybe the real Naruto was just different.

"Right!" Naruto jolted, as if he had just remembered, "what I was trying to say was…" He trailed , finally gathering his courage, Naruto finished his sentence a bit loudly.

"You're my first friend!" Naruto flushed, clearly not having meant to say that much. The blonde stopped walking, causing them both to come to a stop in the middle of the plaza.

Akira couldn't help but laugh. "Why were you so worked up about that? You're my first friend too silly!" Akira giggled. So maybe not all the girl in him was gone, bite him. Or her? Nevermind, ignoring that.

Sighing, Naruto relaxed, relieved. "Does that make you my best friend?" The now suddenly hopeful bonde asked. TIlting his head cutely with those wide eyes in a way that made Akira heart explode in ways it hadn't since he learned of blanket burrito kittens.

"Of course!" Akira jumped at that chance, "forever and ever!" Then he realized something, and jumped. Turning to look back at the ramen shop.

"We didn't pay them" Akira felt his heart nearly stop as he realized he had no money. How was he supposed to pay them?

"Oh! Ayame chan said it was on the house! Something about a first time discount?" Naruto assured Akira this time.

"Okay," Akira sighed, "Anyway, best friends?" He held his fist out.

Naruto smiled excitedly and Akira could swear that smile would light up new york after dark. This sad child was just so _bright_. 'Little kids are so adorable' Akira squealed on the inside.

"Best friends!" Naruto chirped loudly, fist bumping Akira. Then the blonde threw his arms around Akira. "Let's play tomorrow too!"

"No duh!" Akira accepted, feeling just as cheerful. Then the blonde darted off, throwing a goodbye behind him as he hurried home, or at least Akira assumed so. To tell the Hokage of his new friend was also an option though.

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

'Right, those things, they've been going off for forever huh?' Akira began walking back in the approximate direction of the orphanage. Or at least the park. 'Let's see then!'

**Skill Gained! E-Rank Sense KI (Lvl 1)**

**Level Up! Sense KI (Lvl 2)**

**Level Up! Sense KI (Lvl 3)**

**Level Up! Sense Ki (Lvl 4)**

**Skill Gained! E-Rank Charisma (Lvl 1)**

**Quest Completed! [Ichiraku's Ramen Shop]**

**Hidden Bonus Objectives Completed! [Ichiraku's Ramen Shop]**

**Quest Found! [Play With Naruto]**

'That's a lot. Welp, no place better to start than the top!'

**Sense KI - Level 4 - When people hate you, you will know - Sense danger up to 10 ft - 8% chance to know where it's coming from - 0 CP per use**

Then,

**Charisma - Level 1 - People like you more for some inexplicable reason - 5% increase in relationship point gain - 0 CP per use**

'Well, at least the top one is useful,' Akira sighed, 'Well I guess the bottom one is too if I want to become friends with someone fast. Don't leaders need charisma too? So not entirely useless.'

**For finding use in a seemingly useless skill - + 1 WIS**

'That's still shockingly easy,' Akira thought, 'Is it because my difficulty setting is lower than before? Or is it just this easy this early on? Meh' Not wanting to get a headache, Akira turned to the quests.

**[Ichiraku's Ramen Shop]**

**You've been invited to Naruto's second favourite place in the village, make a good impression**

**Rewards: (Friend) Status with Naruto, Xp, 1 E-Rank Scroll, 15 Yen**

**Rewards for Bonus Objectives: (Best Friend) Status with Naruto, (Liked) Status with Ichiraku Ramen Shop**

**[Play With Naruto]**

**Naruto wants to play with you tomorrow, you agreed.**

**Recurring Quest**

**Rewards: Relationship Points with Naruto, XP, (1) Perk Point**

'Neat, I wonder what a scroll does?' Akira pondered, reaching the park and turning to walk towards the orphanage. By the sun's time, it was likely reaching dinner.

'Welp, I still have that perk point to use too' Akira opened the **Character** page.

**Title: Orphan**

**Name: Akira**

**Leve: 2 (20%)**

**HP: 110/110**

**SP: 110/110**

**CP: 72.5/72.5**

**Age: 8**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**STR - 7**

**DEX - 11**

**VIT - 9**

**INT - 9**

**WIS - 11**

**LUC - 6**

**CC - 9**

**Points to Allocate: 5**

**-Perks- (2)**

**Boy Genius**

**Ooo! Pointy**

'Wait, two? Right! The bonus objectives!' Akira focused on the little number two and was brought the perk page like before. Just smaller.

**Fire Affinity - -50% Fire jutsu cost (1)**

**Water Affinity - -50% Water jutsu cost (1)**

**Earth Affinity - -50% Earth jutsu cost (1)**

**Air Affinity - -50% Air jutsu cost (1)**

**Lady Killer - 20% damage to opposite gender, 10 % relationship gain with opposite gender (1)**

**You Flatteter - 10% romance gain (1)**

**I am Rubber! - You can bend ways you really shouldn't (1)**

**Foxy! - Gain a fox familiar, extra chakra (1) [unlocked from reaching (Best Friends) with Naruto]**

**Taijustu Master - 10% Gain STR, VIT, Taijutsu (1)**

**Stay Away! - +10% CC, DEX, Ranged (1)**

**White Knight - +10% CC, Medical Chakra (2)**

**S.P.E.C.I.A.L - Gain extra points as you level (2)**

**Lucky Bastard - 20% LUC**

'Oh my god, **Foxy!**' Akira felt like bursting out laughing just from reading that. It was very… apt.

'Welp, I have no idea what to chose. **I am Rubber!** seems fun. **Foxy!** is nearly too good to give up. Yet I really want a wind sword or something… hmmm'

'What if flame sword and fox companion? Sounds good' Choosing **Fire Affinity** and **Foxy!**, Akira closed the screen and made it the rest of the way home.

'Foxes are adorable, I wonder when I'll meet my familiar' Akira hummed a happy tune.

Akira couldn't help but be excited, for his future familiar, and for future play dates with Naruto.

After all, if Akira wasn't excited he'd start thinking about other things. If he started really thinking about those things… Akira wasn't sure what he'd do


	7. Chapter 7

The week went by in a blur. A blur of gaining XP and playing with Naruto. Which, while repetitive, wasn't boring.

During the week, Akira didn't really think about training. Sure, he got **DEX**, **VIT**, and levels in skills from playing ninja and stuff but was that really training?

Akira's **STR** even rose a bit from climbing the occasional tree. So a nicely fruitful week, but overall not as high gains as it could of been.

Could you blame him thought? Akira had the chance to be a kid again, he was going to enjoy it while he could.

The fun little gains and quests from doing so was just an added benefit. Especially considering how amazing the perks were.

Speaking of added benefits, Akira had yet to see his fox familiar. He knew he should have one so where was it, her, he, them?

Ah well, at least something good happened in the week leading up to the academy. Namely a level Up!

**Title: Orphan**

**Name: Akira**

**Leve:3 (15%)**

**HP: 130/130**

**SP: 110/110**

**CP: 80/80**

**Age: 8**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

**STR - 9**

**DEX - 15**

**VIT - 11**

**INT - 10**

**WIS - 13**

**LUC - 6**

**CC - 9**

**Points to Allocate: 10**

**-Perks- (1)**

**Boy Genius**

**Ooo! Pointy**

**Fire Affinity**

**Foxy!**

'Wait where did the **INT **point come from?' Akira thought, forgetting the ninja quiz he had with Naruto. Why? The two wanted to see who knew more about ninjas. Akira won, obviously.

That just seemed to get Naruto riled up. Which led to him proclaiming he would one day beat Akira! Which was perfectly possible, but highly unlikely.

See, Akira's the kind of person that can recall seemingly random facts, but never what's important.

Which is how, on the day of the Academy Orientation, Akira heard everything the Hokage said. Yet he'd be damned if he could recall a single word.

Instead, Akira could tell you exactly what the Hokage's stats were. It was easy because he couldn't see any.

**Hiruzen Sarutobi - Lvl ? - God of Shinobi**

**HP: ?/?**

**SP: ?/?**

**CP: ?/?**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

Right, he forgot. **Observe** had leveled up once. Now, Akira could see the affiliation.

Not that the level up was necessary when Akira could recall the affiliation of practically every ninja in the show and their mother.

Yeah, Jane really had the best memory and the worst time. Now, if only she could recall a single math class.

Akira's attention was suddenly dragged back to the present by one (1) very excited blonde.

"We're going to be a ninja! Believe it!" Naruto cheered, a smile that reminded Akira of the Naruto in the anime on his face. It seemed a bit to fake.

"Of course we are and you're going to be the best" Akira spoke off hand, taking Naruto's hands and throwing them in the air. What can he say? Both Akira and Jane were very excited.

Just like with everything Akira said to Naruto, Naruto paused for a moment. It was less of a pause than last time though, that was good.

"Yeah!" There's the smile Akira was going for. Nice and bright and cheery, smaller but truer. Made him look even cuter, if that was possible.

A teacher started calling out group names, wasn't Iruka so Akira didn't care to find out who they were.

Who was he kidding? **Observe**.

**Miruko Jiro - Lvl 21 - Chunnin Instructor**

**HP: 210/210**

**SP: 200/200**

**CP: 300/300**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure **

'So no one important' Akira decided. Tuning out everything except his name and Naruto's.

"Class B! Shino Aburme, Shikumaru Naru, Choji Akimichi, Sasuke Uchiha, Ino Yamamka, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga… Naruto Uzumaki," I lost concentration after.

All I know is that that's the graduating class the anime follows. I'm not in it. Or in Class A. I didn't even know there were any more classes than one.

'The more you knows' Akira shrugged. "With Sensei Iruka Umino" Miruko gestured off to the right and there he was. The man himself.

**Iruka Umino - Lvl 23 - Chunnin Instructor**

**HP: 230/230**

**SP: 180/180**

**CP: 235/235**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure **

"N'awww, you aren't in my class Ki" Naruto pouted sagging. His shoulders were tense though.

"Don't worry Naru-Chan, we can always play after. Get going now, your class is leaving" Akira smiled at his friend, who perked up.

"See ya Ki-Chan!" Naruto cheered waving as he darted through the crowd to his class, who were doing a headcount.

People turned to glare at him as he ran past. Many following his gaze to glare at Akira.

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

'At this rate, Zabuza's KI won't affect me in the slightest' if Akira could sweat drop, he would've.

It was insane how stupid, insensitive, and down right arrogant some people could be. If there was a gun inside a letter, would you call the paper dangerous? Nope.

Then there's always that kunai and scroll thing Akira heard somewhere, but he liked his version better.

"Class C!" Miruko began up again. There was a bunch a people Akira didn't pay attention too.

Then, "Shizuko, Zen Nemu, Akira! I'll be your sensei! Come with me!" With that, Miruko walked off the stage.

Our class wasn't all that big, maybe 15 students. In contrast, class B had around 20 and Class A had nearly 35.

'Wonder how that happened?' Akira pondered, tuning out the teacher. Like anything Jiro said was going to be important, right?

Eventually the class stopped, but Akira didn't realize that. So instead of stopping with the rest of the class, he ran headfirst into the girl in front of him.

"Oops, sorry!" He apologizes swiftly, looking up through his bangs as he stumbled back.

The girl he ran into had white hair, _white hair_. Akira didn't recognize her, neither did Jane. But she still had long white hair with bangs that obscured most her face

She looked shy, really shy, absurdly shy. Like so shy it didn't seem like a natural personality. So instead of responding, the girl squeaked.

Too bad for the girl, who probably wanted to be left alone in a hole and ignored for the rest of forever, but Akira was interested in her now.

**Shizuko - Lvl 2 - Queen of Books**

**HP: 110/110**

**SP: 75/75**

**CP: 50/50**

**Affiliation: Konohagakure**

'So _that's_ who Shizuko is!' Akira only vaguely remembering her name from the entrance ceremony.

"I'm Akira, what's your name?" Shizuko flinched. Had Akira been too loud? Where her eardrums sensitive?

Shizuko just squeaked in lieu of reply. Then seemed to realized she hadn't managed to reply and shrunk back.

"That's okay, I'll just call you… Snow! Cause that's what you hair reminds me of" that was close enough to little kid logic, right? Right.

"Alright class!" The teacher cleared his throat, seeming to look at Akira in particular. "That's all for today"

"Meet at the classroom tomorrow and we shall do your evaluation" Jiro looked at each kid one by one, lingering on Akira for a moment.

'Wait, where's the classroom?' So maybe not listening to the teacher was a _bad_ thing.

The class dispersed quickly, running off in every which direction. Akira just turned to Shizuko.

"So Snow, I… have no idea where the classroom is. Wanna hang out together tomorrow and you can take me there?" Akira asked, or more pleaded.

Shizuko nodded jerkily, seeming to shrink further into each other. Akira just attempted to smile reassuringly at her.

**[Quest Line Found!]**

**Academy Evaluation**

**(⅕)**

**[Find the Classroom]**

**You weren't paying attention, find the classroom anyway**

**Reward: XP, Continued Quest Line, ?**

**Accept**

**(Y) / (N)**

'That's an easy one' Akira accepted. Turning and walking out, he gave Shizuko one last kind smile.

Naruto immediately ran up and jumped at him, nearly causing both to fall over.

They stumbled, laughing and swinging around. Completely ignoring the KI around them, which continued to grow

Akira twitched but maintained his happy appearance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something.

A flash of an orangey-red color. It was only for a moment though, and when he looked back it was gone.

Naruto's insistent tugging pulled him away from the mystery. Banishing it from conscious thought, yet still there in the back of his mind.

Akira would think of that later. He had more important things to do.


	8. Chapter 8

New day new Akira, sort off. It took him fifteen minutes to get out of bed before he realized he had to go to the academy.

To make it worse, Jane was _never_ a morning person. She was a night owl all the way. Yet Akira could wake up at five as bright as the sun.

It left her feeling tired yet also not at all tired. A weird feeling that Akira mostly just ignored.

Banana

"Ki!" Naruto cheered, crashing into Akira head on. Wrapping his arms around the blonde, Akira wondered just how touch starved the kid must be. Or maybe he just really liked hugs.

Few villagers were up and about so early in the morning. The sun still barely over the horizon.

Those that were turned to glare at the duo. Many now recognizing them as the Demon Brat and his follower.

"Mornin' Naru" Akira yawned, releasing the blonde to stretch. Maybe it would help dispel his out-of-body tiredness. Unlikely but a boy could hope.

'What was…?' Akira turned to the right, towards a dark alley. He could've sworn he saw the same orangey-red flash from yesterday. Like fire.

Yet, staring into the dark alley, Akira saw nothing similar. Just dirt, grime, and trash cans.

"Something wrong Ki?" His curious blonde friend asked, peering over his shoulder as is to see what Akira saw.

Thinking for a moment, Akira replied "Nah Naru, just thought I saw some thin'. I was wrong I guess"

While still curious, Naruto to his answer for what it was. He was nice like that.

The two walked side by side, happy in their silence. Well Naruto skipped but you get the picture.

Humming a cheery tune, Akira couldn't help but say, "You really are adorable."

Naruto went red, squeaking. Then shook it off and yelled, "Race you to the academy!"

The blonde immediately took off, leaving behind his startled best friend.

Akira looked off in the direction the blonde had and and laughed. Then he raced off to.

Somehow, Akira managed to nearly beat Naruto. Making it to the grounds scant a second after the blonde jinchuuriki.

_***Ping***_

'Sweet, wonder what that was?' Akira then decided to ignore it, focusing on regaining his breath.

Naruto didn't seem affected at all by the run, but then given his **SP **it wasn't surprising. Probably had something to do with his furry companion.

"I catch you after!" Chirped Naruto, running off in order to be early for what was likely the first and only time in his life.

Catching the flash of color again, Akira looked off. Yet he couldn't manage to catch it again.

Instead, Akira spotted Shizuko, who was practically blanketed in her hair and an oversized long sleeved shirt.

Grinning, Akira walked over. "Hey, let's go to the classroom, okay?" Akira asked softly because one, it was too early to be loud, and two, she reminded him of a scared kitten.

Jerkily nodding, Shizuko walked off at a fast paced shuffle. Her long hair already nearly reached her knees. It was actually impressive.

"Have you seen a fox around? I've heard rumors about one sneaking around" Akira attempted to make conversation.

He immediately felt like banging his head against a wall. 'What was _that_?' It was possibly the worst thing he could've thought to say.

Shizuko, to her credit, just paused for a moment. Then she shook her head.

If Akira has asked any of the villagers that, they probably would've called him a demon considering his reputation. It wouldn't have been good

"That's too bad. I actually kind of like foxes. They're like the middle ground between cats and dogs"

Shizuko actually nodded at that, seeming to relax despite the being in the worst conversation you could have with anyone from Konoha. The Kyuubi attack was only eight years ago.

"But I guess that's just me, not a lot of people like foxes. Do you?"

Shizuko shrugged, gently bringing up her hand to make a 'So-so' motion.

"Really? What's your favorite animal? You seem like an owl person to me."

Shizuko seemed to think for a moment. Then nodded, shook her head, and made the 'nyah' motion.

"Cats then? That's great! Cats are adorable" Akira chirped.

Shizuko bobbed her head in agreement as they came to a stop.

In front of the two was a door with a plaque reading 'C-1'. Sliding open the door revealed a classroom The was exactly like the one in the show.

"wow, can't say I expected up to be here earlier than the teacher" Akira rubbed the back of his neck.

Then again, it wasn't surprising. It was only around 5:20 and the academy began at 6.

"So what do you wanna do till the teacher gets here?" Akira hoisted himself up to sit on a desk.

Shizuko shrugged and sat down on a chair next to him, curling further into herself now that she was given the chance.

Their conversation continued similarly for the next half an hour. Akira would talk and ask questions while Shizuko just made vague motions for him to interpret.

It was extremely one sided yet it wasn't awkward. If anything it was just as calming as a when she used to sing herself to sleep. It was...nice.

Yet, the more they talked. The more Akira could've sworn he saw that flash of color again, and again, and again.

'How annoying' Akira sighed, swinging back on the desk. Shizuko flinched at his movement, seeming to curl further into herself.

"Hm? Maa… it's not you Snow. I think im so tired I'm seeing things." Akira smiled gently at Shizuko, giggling.

After that, the two sat in companionable silence. Shizuko taking a book out of nowhere and reading while Akira just swung his legs on the desk, humming.

'Hmmmm, I wonder… **Relationships**'

**Konohagakure Civilians - -1542/-5000 (Disliked)**

**Konohagakure Ninja - -10/-999 (Strangers)**

**Matron Mira - 755/755 (Liked, apprehensive)**

**Naruto Uzumaki - 4756/5000 (Best Friends) / 0/5000 (No Bud)**

**Shizuko - 546/5000 (Strangers)**

'Oh, we're strangers. Make sense, I'm still not supposed to know her name. I just do.' Akira hummed laying across the desks. Shizuko looked up at his movement, then back down.

**Book - Tales of A Gutsy Shinobi, this book had horrible ratings**

'She's reading that one book by Jiryia? I didn't know they sold those to children.' Akira blinked, then proceeded to stare at his **Relationships** panel. Which basically just made it look like he was staring at the ceiling.

'What's that 'No Bud' thing next to Naru's name?' Akira pondered. Thankfully, Jane had been smart enough to turn on the **Hints**, so she was able to find out.

**When you reach (Best Friends) status, the Romance Panel automatically opens up beside their name. It can happen sooner but it is harder to do. The Romance Panel ranks with the following:**

**No Bud (0) - There are no romantic relations between you two**

**Budding (1-999) - Slight romantic feeling, usually started by the other party**

**Flirting (1000-2000) - Other party receptive to flirting**

**Dating (2001-4000) - Other party receptive to dating, and everything that comes with it**

**Destined (4001-4999) - Other party receptive to marriage, feelings of wanting to be together forever develop**

**Soulmates (5000) - Not even finding you with another with vanquish their feelings for you**

'Neat… wait me date Naru? Not happening' Then Jane remembered all the ship fics she had come across whenever she google'd her favorite ships.

**It is possible for more than one romantic partner, although cheating isn't recommended. Certain Perks allow for higher romance gain, and even multiple partners (such as the 'Enough of Me for All', and 'Everyone is Gay' perks). Higher levels required to unlock such perks. (10) (15)**

'Multiple people? Me? Polyamory? Oh hell no, I couldn't handle one boyfriend I _cannot_ handle more' Jane grimaced at the thought of her one and only ex, who had three other side chicks while dating her.

``I'm just going to close this menu and never think about it ever again.' Akira decided, doing just that.

A third person cleared their throat, causing Akira to jump and Shizuko to nearly throw her book. Akira sat up, turning swiftly to look at the door and nearly giving himself whiplash in the process.

"What" came Jiro's clipped voice, "Do you think you're doing in here?" He narrowed his eyes at Akira. Either he didn't see Shizuko, or he had something against Akira.

"I got here earlier than expected, so me and Shizuko came here to wait" 'Shizuko and _I_' the Jane in him reprimanded. What Jane was an author, it was a reflex!

Jiro scoffed, "and I should believe you _aren't_ planning something _why?_' He seemed annoyed or frustrated.

'Why are you so mad?' Akira pleaded in his head. An authority figure was mad at him, never a good combination.

Before Akira could attempt to defend himself, a soft voice spoke up, nearly impossible to hear.

"...truth…" was all Akira managed to catch. Jiro seemed to understand perfectly well anyway and it just made the teacher angrier.

"_Fine_" Jiro spat, actually making Akira flinch. Shizuko seemed to stiffen as well.

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

_***Ping***_

'Jesus that rises fast!' Akira didn't need to look to know what leveled up. He could certainly feel it alright.

"You and… Shizuko here can go sit in the back then" Jiro motioned off handedly, walking long strides to his desk.

Shuffling through it, Jiro pulled out a bunch of disorganized papers and began to work on… something.

"So your names Shizuko, nice ta meet you." Akira smiled, "Don't think I'm not still going to call you Snow though" He teasesd.

"Shall we?" Akira spoke dramatically holding a hand out of Shizuko.

Shizuko just stared at him, then his hand, and accepted it. Akira could've of sworn he saw her smile.

Now, if only he could figure out what that furry orangey-red blob was that would be great.

**Okay! This is where you put the authors note thing, right?**

**Anyway, I need some advice. While it's definitely further in the future for this story I still need to decide something.**

**Should Akira/Jane have any romantic relations? Girl, Boy (likely boy) or multiple? Is there anyone you'd like to see or think would be good for him?**

**I'd decide myself but I'm busy with… other things… so please help!**

**Please vote in the review section and I'll see what I can do! Practically anyone is an option! =3**

**Have fun!**


	9. Important, Please read!

To all of those who were disappointed when I stopped updating this, if those people even exist, I'm sorry.

To those same people, I have good news! I'm going to be rewriting this, all of it, plus some!

Reviews fuel my addiction too so keep em' coming and keep an eye out for the rewrite. It'll be a separate story but I'll keep this one up if any of y'all want to read it.

That's all for now, bye bye butterfly!


	10. Chapter 10

This just in! To anyone who cares, the first chapter of the rewrite is up!

Just go to my profile, the name and description are about the same so it shouldn't be too hard.

Hope its... somewhat better! That was the goal.


End file.
